STUDENTS across Portland and the district are warming up their voices and tuning their instruments for this year’s Performing Arts Festival.

This year, Bundarra Primary School will be coordinating the annual event that will open Tuesday August 27 and Wednesday August 28 at the Portland Civic Hall.

Tuesday night will feature Bundarra Primary School, Portland North Primary School, Portland Primary School, St John’s Lutheran Primary School, and Narrawong District Primary School.

Wednesday will feature Portland South Primary School, Bolwarra Primary School, Heywood and District Secondary College, Heywood Consolidated School, All Saints Parish School, and Dartmoor Primary School.

Bayview College and Portland Secondary College bands will perform on both nights.

Each school has a 10-minute slot and will perform its own selection of songs and instruments, which students have been rehearsing in class.

Bundarra Primary School music staff Nic Oats said they will have the help of the Secondary College students to set up the stage and seats for the audience.

“There should be 650 people in the audience. That's the capacity of the hall and it's usually full,” he said.

“Part of the job of being the organizing school is we're going to open the music festival with a performance of Robbie Williams song Let Me Entertain You.

“Then our principal says all the housekeeping of the evening like no photography and no videoing.”

Tickets will be sold for $10 and will go toward the cost of hiring the venue, and a technician to run the lights and music. The money leftover will go toward new choir risers.